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“Put it behind you.”

A thought by Zig Ziglar (2003-01-01) from his book, Zig Ziglar's Life Lifters (p. 138). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Zig is so good at dealing with the realities of life.  And this is a very good one.  So many people weigh down their present and their future with their past.

Zig says, “All of us have the opportunity to let our past either teach us or beat us. The choice is ours.”  And it is.

He goes on, “An anonymous writer put it this way: ‘There comes a time when we must clean out the closets of our lives so that we may have room for items that will enhance our lives. Let's search the closets of our lives and make a trip to the wastebasket. Throw away any hatred that may be lurking there, and be sure to toss out jealousy, bad attitudes, dishonesty, complaints, sin and hypocrisy. Before you finish, throw away that grudge you've been carrying against someone. Make room to add love, honesty, forgiveness and kindness, not to mention thankfulness for all of God's blessings. Go and make room for reverence and respect for God, from Whom all good comes. Stand back and look. Your life's closet is looking better, isn't it? Take a moment today to spring clean your heart. Ask God to come in and if He finds anything else that should not be there, to take it out so that you can live holy and right.’”

That would without a doubt be a good project for today.

He concludes this chapter by saying, “Carl Bard puts this all in perspective when he says, ‘Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.’ In many ways this is the major benefit of character, which is the foundation stone upon which all long-term positive relationships are built. Arthur Friedman says, ‘Men of genius are admired. Men of wealth are envied. Men of power are feared. But only men of character are trusted.’ It makes sense to deal with the past in order to enrich our lives and give us the freedom to be the best we can be. Guilt, anger, and fear are heavy burdens to carry. Doing the right thing eliminates guilt. Acting with integrity eliminates the fear of being ‘found out’ because you have nothing to hide. With the albatross of fear and guilt removed, you can travel faster go farther and have more fun on the trip.”


It will make a difference. So what is it in your past that you need to take care of?
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